Instruction in visual arts at University Laboratory School strives to cultivate in all of our students a greater appreciation for the environment and community by fine-tuning observational skills through the exploration of art-making processes, the study of the elements of art and principles of design and the practice of expression of ideas both visually and verbally.
Elementary students participate in art instruction once per week. Students explore and participate in creative art-making processes and learn to use a step-by-step process to create artwork. They develop fine motor skills and sensory connections. Using basic art making techniques, students experience and use the elements of art and principles of design. They learn how to share their ideas and explain their artwork to others. Through their experiences with the visual arts, they develop an awareness of their own community.
Middle and high school students who choose to continue their study of visual arts participate in daily instruction that integrates the study of aesthetics, art criticism, art history and art production.
All visual arts instruction at ULS is based upon National Art Education Association (NAEA) and Louisiana State standards and includes the following concepts:
- Perception: Perceive and understand relationships among the elements and principles of design as they appear in works of art.
- Appreciation / Awareness: Develop an interest and appreciation of the visual arts through the study of cultures and historical periods in which they are created.
- Knowledge / Interrelationships: Develop a working knowledge of the language of art and an understanding of the relationship of the visual arts to other fields of knowledge.
- Creativity: Think and act creatively by solving problems and by responding with originality, flexibility, fluency, and imagination.
- Production / Skills: Develop technical skills for using art mediums as a means of personal expression and communication.
- Judgment / Critique: Make aesthetic judgments about works of art.